


The Fate of Mrs. F

by dixie_drifter



Series: A Little Slice of the Kingdom [2]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Episode Related, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 14:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15197012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dixie_drifter/pseuds/dixie_drifter
Summary: Title pretty much says it all. A missing scene before Craig picks up Deran and J.





	The Fate of Mrs. F

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of free time sitting in a waiting room at the Dr.'s today. I can only stare at my phone screen for so long before my eyes rebel, so if bits of it seem jumpy this isn't edited or anything. Its another idea I just ran with instead of actually putting a lot of thought into.

Deran popped the driver's side door open and started to pull himself out. He shot J a look over his shoulder, and jabbed a thumb toward the back seat.

"Grab the wipes and run them over everything. Total wipe down. I'll do the back, you take the front."

J nodded. He swallowed hard as stepped from the car, still uncomfortable with what they had just done. He smoothed the wipe over the door frame, wrinkling his nose as the sharp chemical scent burned when he breathed it in. He snuck a look at Deran over his shoulder as he moved to the dashboard. His uncle didn't seem particularly bothered by what they had just done, his movements almost mechanical as he swiped the rag back and forth over over the headrest.

"Don't forget the radio dials, and the gear shift," Deran said.

"I got it."

"And the seat adjustment."

"I said I got it," J said through gritted teeth. He backed out of the car, using the wipe as a glove. With a quick, but thorough cleaning of the outside of the car door, J jogged around to the driver's side to repeat the process inside. Deran's nonchalance about leaving an old woman the way they did grated on him. He scrubbed at the car's interior a little harder as his thoughts kept going back to Mrs. F.

Wanting answers, he turned to the backseat where Deran had also switched sides. Sensing J's eyes on him, Deran looked up from where he crouched on the ground by the open door and gave an aggravated sigh.

"What?" he asked.

J pressed his lips together, equally agitated. "How exactly is leaving her all alone at a bus stop at all a good idea?"

Deran didn't say anything for a moment. He stood and slipped into the backseat, settling back so he could look J in the eyes at a less awkward angle. For a second, he thought about letting the kid hang in the wind. Just for a second, before he remembered he was trying not to be a complete asshole anymore.

"About fifteen minutes after we left her there, the last bus on that route pulled in. As soon as they realize she has no idea where she is, or hell even who she is, they'll call the cops."

J's eyes went wide. He opened his mouth to interrupt when Deran held up a hand.

"Once they get her to the station," he continued, "they'll run her prints. It's the fastest way to find out if she fits any missing persons reports filed in the area. Its part of the reason we left Oceanside."

J frowned. He tried to remember anything Smurf had mentioned about the old woman, that would come back to bite them if she said too much. "The whole point of this was to keep her of the hands of the cops, whether it's the cops here or at home."

Deran cocked a brow when J slammed a fist down on the console. J jumped back in before Deran could add anything else.

"Jesus Christ! You know we can't have anything-- ANYTHING," he stressed, "connecting us to her--"

'They're not going to give a shit about where she came from or where she's been once they find out who she is," Deran told him. The corner of his mouth pulled up when J focused those cool eyes back on him. "When they run her prints, they'll get a hit from the FBI. She'll match up with a woman who's been on their wanted list for about fifty years, I'd guess. In another life she was the getaway driver during a bank robbery in Nevada that left a security guard dead."

J stared at him in disbelief. "You-- I-- Why didn't Smurf tell me that when she told me to take care it? Why the hell didn't you just tell me that instead of going on and on about your finances!"

Deran's mouth twisted wryly. "That's between you and her. I was going to. No, really, I was. Swear to god," he said when J curled his lip at him. "But," he drawled, "you actually thought I was going to shoot an old woman. I know we're assholes, but that's not what we do. It's what Smurf would do, that I'm sure of, but not the rest of us. Honestly, it was more than a little insulting."

J scoffed. "That was a dick move. Jesus, I don't even know why I came to you in the first place."

"I don't either. But, I'm kind of glad you did." Deran swiped his arm across his face. "You're a Cody. We're not into that touchy feely hippie shit, but you're family, and that means we watch out for each other. It also means no one else is gonna pull more shit on you than us."

Before J could throw back a response, Deran's phone chirped.

"Its Craig. He's just a few minutes away." Deran jerked his chin toward the console. "Wipe that down again," he ordered as he twisted to put his feet on the ground. "I'll grab the plates."

J moved fast, but thoroughly, as he finished erasing all traces of Cody interference from the car. The short blasts of the drill told him Deran was making quick work removing the licenses. It struck him, for really the first time, that Deran wasn't just the grunt Smurf made him out to be. All these years watching, learning, Deran had already proven he could pull off a job without guidance from his brothers.

He thought about what it must have taken for Deran to swallow his pride and approach him for help with his bar. On the drive up here, Deran had spoke about the paperwork and filing system for the Drop in a way that showed a pretty good head for business when it came to the day to day running of the bar. The taxes on the other hand were a different story.

Smurf had taken care of everything for his uncles, but what he was beginning to see was how it had gone exactly how she wanted it to. She wanted them to need her. She needed them to need her. If they couldn't handle their own livelihoods, why would she ever have to worry about them being out of her reach.

Headlights flashed, jerking him from his thoughts. Craig pulled up in the Scout, prompting J to give one last drag of the rag across the door handle before settling in the backseat of the Scout. Deran hopped in the front with practiced ease, tossing the car tags on the floorboard.

J glared at both of them when Deran made a crack about him believing the old woman's fate ended with a bullet, but he kept quiet. Tonight had opened his eyes to a side of Deran he wasn't sure how to handle. He'd have to rethink how he approached any of them going forward if he was going to survive with the business intact. His life. And his freedom.


End file.
